Sony LinkBuds S WF-LS900N (Ecru)

Sony LinkBuds S WF-LS900N (Ecru)

The Sony LinkBuds S WF-LS900N in Ecru is a truly wireless noise-cancelling earbud designed around all-day wear: small enough and light enough to stay in the ear for hours, while still providing active noise cancellation, high-resolution wireless audio and clear call quality. Each earbud weighs approximately 4.8 grams, which Sony presented at launch as its smallest and lightest noise-cancelling form factor of this type. The Ecru finish is the soft, warm off-white colourway of the LinkBuds S range, paired with a compact charging case in a matching finish made in part from recycled plastic materials. Under the small housing sits Sony’s Integrated Processor V1, a 5-millimetre driver and support for LDAC, DSEE Extreme and 360 Reality Audio.

Key features

• Ultra-light earbuds at approx. 4.8 g each in Ecru finish
• Active noise cancellation with Adaptive Sound Control
• 5 mm dynamic driver with LDAC high-resolution wireless audio
• Up to 6 hours per charge with noise cancelling on, 20 hours total with case
• IPX4 splash resistance and multipoint Bluetooth connection
• Speak-to-Chat, wearing detection and touch controls

Noise cancelling that adapts to where you are

The Integrated Processor V1 controls noise cancellation and audio processing in the LinkBuds S. Adaptive Sound Control adjusts ambient sound settings according to activity and location, for example reducing the outside world during a commute and allowing more awareness while walking. An Ambient Sound mode with multiple levels lets environmental sound in deliberately, which matters for station announcements, traffic and conversation. Speak-to-Chat pauses playback automatically when the wearer starts talking, and wearing detection pauses when an earbud is removed. Together these features suit the way earbuds are actually used across a day: focused listening in one moment, awareness and conversation in the next, without repeated manual switching.

Sound from a small driver

The 5-millimetre dynamic driver uses a high-power neodymium magnet and a high-compliance diaphragm intended to reproduce bass clearly despite the small size. Frequency response is specified as 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz at 44.1 kHz sampling and 20 Hz to 40,000 Hz when using LDAC at 96 kHz sampling. Bluetooth codecs supported are SBC, AAC and LDAC, so high-resolution capable sources can use LDAC while standard sources use AAC or SBC. DSEE Extreme upscales compressed music in real time, and 360 Reality Audio support provides spatial playback with compatible services and setup through Sony’s headphone app. Equaliser adjustment is also handled in the app, allowing the default tuning to be shaped to preference.

Calls, controls and connection

For calls, the LinkBuds S uses microphone processing with noise reduction developed to keep the voice clear in noisy surroundings, supported by the close fit of the earbuds. Bluetooth version 5.2 provides the wireless connection with a range of approximately 10 metres and profiles including A2DP, AVRCP, HFP and HSP, and multipoint connection allows two devices, such as a phone and a laptop, to stay connected with switching between them. Touch sensors on the earbuds control playback, volume, calls and voice assistant access for Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. The IPX4 rating protects the earbuds against splashes, covering rain and workout use, though the charging case itself is not water resistant.

Battery, charging and fit

Battery life is up to 6 hours of continuous music playback with noise cancelling on and up to 9 hours with it off, with the charging case adding approximately 14 hours for totals of 20 hours and 30 hours respectively under Sony’s stated conditions. A quick charge of about 5 minutes provides up to 60 minutes of playback, useful before leaving home. Full charging takes approximately 2 hours for the earbuds and approximately 3 hours for the case over USB Type-C; the case does not support wireless charging. Four sizes of silicone earbud tips are included to achieve the seal on which both bass response and noise cancellation depend, and the case measures approximately 42.8 by 60 by 27.6 millimetres at about 35 grams.

For listeners who find larger noise-cancelling earbuds uncomfortable over long periods, the LinkBuds S in Ecru offers the combination that defines the model: a genuinely small and light fit, credible noise cancellation, LDAC audio and a full set of adaptive features, in a colourway that stands apart from standard black and white.